A whale of a time at Bishop Museum
The skeleton of an adult sperm whale has hung in the exhibit hall at Bishop Museum since it was purchased from Ward’s Natural Science Establishment in 1901. The museum originally paid $2,500 for this specimen. The whale is more than fifty-five feet long and the eighteen-foot head weighs about 3,000 pounds. This photo shows the right side, the left is completely exposed to show the skeleton. During our trip in March, we were awed by the size of this massive creature. I also wouldn’t have guessed that it had been hanging in the same spot for more than a hundred years!
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